Thanksgiving Turkey!

This year I cooked my family's Thanksgiving meal. Last year I saw it had gotten too much for my Mom. So. This year I told her that I'm taking the turkey baster off of her and Thanksgiving dinner was now mine! It wasn't the first time I cooked a turkey but it was the first time I did the whole meal.

Even though Thanksgiving is now over, I am going to take the next few days to post all of the recipes I used. Any of the items would be great for your Christmas or Holiday meals or you could tuck them away for use next year.

Before I post the first recipe, let me say that I prepped everything the day before. Yes, everything...even the mashed potatoes! Doing this enabled me to have a stress free, relaxing Thanksgiving. I'll share more about how I prepped ahead with each recipe that I post. It really worked out beautifully. Even though I cooked for 12 people, I had time to sit in the kitchen with my Mom while the turkey was cooking and visit.

The first recipe I am going to share is for the turkey. As I have said, I have cooked turkeys before but this year I wanted to try something new. Yes, trying something new on the day of Thanksgiving is taking somewhat of a chance but I threw caution to the wind and went for it. If it didn't work, we had a lot of side dishes we could fill up on!

So. A couple of weeks before Thanksgiving I saw in the Parade Magazine (that comes in the Sunday's paper) the article "The Best Chefs Create Your Perfect Thanksgiving Dinner." Bobby Flay did the turkey and after reading over it, I decided this was the recipe I was going to use. Even though his cooking usually is more elaborate and has a wonderful flair to it, his recipe for turkey seemed more traditional and perfect for me. The main thing I liked about it, was that he said you could cook a 17 pound turkey in 2 hours plus 20-40 minutes resting time after you take it out of the oven. Seriously friends, it worked and was the most tastiest, juiciest turkey I have EVER put in my mouth! Since I live about an hour away from my parents' and I was cooking there, I didn't want to drag Allison out of bed at 5 in the morning to get there to put the turkey in the oven so we could eat around 12:30. I will never cook a turkey the long way ever again!

Here is his recipe with my adjustments in red. (I know, I know...I couldn't help myself...I had to do things a little different but you'll see they weren't in the cooking. I followed his instructions exactly.

Turkey by Bobby Flay

Ingredients:

1 whole fresh turkey (17 lbs.), rinsed and patted dry (I used 16 lbs.)

1 1/4 sticks unsalted butter, slightly softened (I used salted)

2 Tbsp each finely chopped fresh sage, fresh rosemary, fresh thyme leaves, and fresh flat-leaf parsley

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

3 large carrots, cut into 1-inch pieces

3 large celery stalks, cut into 1-inch pieces

2 large onions, quartered

8 cups warm homemade chicken stock

Instructions:

1. Remove turkey from the refrigerator 1 hour before roasting.

2. Mix butter, sage, rosemary, thyme, and parsley in a food processor until smooth; season with salt and pepper. (I didn't use the food processor. I let the butter come to room temperature and finely chopped the sage, rosemary, thyme and parsley by hand. Then I mixed them together in a small bowl with the back of a spoon.)

3. Preheat oven to 450ºF. Season the cavity of the turkey with salt and pepper and fill with half the carrots, celery, and onions. Rub entire turkey with herb butter and season liberally with salt and pepper. (I also lifted the skin and rubbed the mixture directly on the meat under the skin.)

4. Put 4 cups of the chicken stock in a medium-size saucepan and keep warm over low heat.

5. Place remaining vegetables and stock on the bottom of a large roasting pan. Place turkey on top of the vegetables, put in the oven, and roast for 45 minutes or until lightly golden brown. (I covered the turkey for this part of the cooking) Reduce heat to 350ºF and continue to roast (I did this part uncovered), basting with warm chicken stock every 15 minutes, about 1 1/4 hours longer. (An instant-read thermometer inserted in the thigh should register 160ºF.) Remove turkey from the oven, transfer to a baking sheet, and tent loosely with foil (I left the turkey in the pan and tightly covered it with foil and then put a double folded bath towel on top of the foil). Let rest 20 minutes before slicing (I let it rest for 40 minutes and it was still hot).

Per 4-oz. serving: 240 calories, no carbs, 32g protein, 95mg cholesterol, and 11g fat.

Bobby Flay's Turkey Tips

Fresh vs. Frozen
Both are good, but frozen turkeys have to be defrosted, which can take several days and occupy valuable room in your refrigerator.

Fresh Herbs vs. Dried
Dried herbs can be substituted for fresh herbs at a ratio of 1 to 3. But fresh herbs have purer flavors that stand out on Thanksgiving Day.

Resting
It’s imperative to let the turkey rest before slicing so the juices recirculate. Wait at least 20 minutes for a small bird, 40 minutes for a larger one.

Thanks for stopping by my kitchen!

Dirt!

Here's a super fun dessert for kids! They serve it where I used to work and the kids love it!

I know there are several recipes out there for dirt that uses whipped cream folded in and such, but this is so easy and pleases the little ones! In fact, it's so easy you can make it minutes. You can't go wrong!

Kid Dirt

Ingredients:
Chocolate pudding, instant or prepared
Oreo Cookies
Gummy Worms

Directions:
~Prepare pudding to package directions and either spoon into individual serving cups or a larger serving bowl.
~Place two worms into pudding cups or several in larger serving bowl.
~Crush several Oreos in a zipper bag until they resemble "dirt" and spoon on top of pudding and around the worms to cover all visible pudding.
~Put dirt in refrigerator until pudding sets up.
~Enjoy!

*Note - I just made these for Allison's Homework Party at school and I bought a big 7+ pound can of chocolate pudding at Sam's Club for $3.98. It worked out to be less expensive than having to buy 6 boxes of pudding mix and a gallon of milk...not to mention having to make the pudding.

(I knew I would find a use for these Princess cups that Allison has had since she was a toddler and will NOT let me to get rid of!)

Thanks for stopping by my kitchen!

Better Than S** Cake!

If you are a reader of my other personal blog, you've seen this recipe a couple of years ago. I'm trying to move all of my recipes over to here so they are in one convenient place.

This cake is so yummy and so not good for your hips. It is one of those cakes that when you take it somewhere, you will be asked for the recipe so make sure you have it with you.

Yes. This is the name of the cake but I call it "Better Than Love Cake" because I really don't want to teach my 8 year old about the birds and the bees just yet!

Enjoy!

"Better Than S** Cake"

Ingredients:
1 chocolate cake mix (I use Devil's Food)
1 can sweetened condensed milk
1 jar of caramel ice cream topping
1 small container of Cool Whip
Heath candy bars (I use one pack of 6) or Butterfinger candy bars

Directions:
~Bake cake as package directions in a 9 x 13 pan.
~As soon as the cake comes out of the oven, use the handle from a wooden spoon and poke holes all over the cake.
~Pour the can of condensed milk and the caramel ice cream topping over the cake. The cake will absorb both.
~Cover with foil and put in the refrigerator overnight. It must sit at least for 4 hours.
~When ready to serve, frost the cake with cool whip and chop the candy bars into small pieces and sprinkle over the top of the cake.

Thanks for stopping by my kitchen!

Lemon-Butter Red Potatoes!

I found this recipe on scrapbooker, Heather D. White's blog a couple of years ago. She was kind enough to let me repost it here. I'm glad she did because this recipe is just too good not to share!

I make this recipe Christmas Eve to go with the rack of pork that I make every year. The potatoes are a light, fresh flavor and works well with the heaviness of the roast.

Lemon-Butter Red Potatoes


Ingredients:
10-15 red potatoes, quartered
1/3 cup butter (no substitutes)
2 Tbsp. olive oil
1/3 cup lemon juice
3 Tbsp. fresh chives, minced (or 1 1/2 Tbsp. dried)
2 Tbsp. fresh parsley, minced (or 1 Tbsp. dried)
1 Tbsp. grated lemon peel
1 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. pepper
1/4 tsp. nutmeg

Directions:
~Place potatoes in a large saucepan and cover with water. Cover the saucepan and bring to a boil. Cook for 15-20 minutes or until tender.
~In a small saucepan, heat butter over medium heat for 2-3 minutes or until lightly browned (the browning give it the flavor). Remove from heat and stir in remaining ingredients.
~Drain potatoes and toss with lemon butter.
~Serve and enjoy!

Thank you for stopping by my kitchen!

Amish Peanut Butter!

I'm back as promised with the recipe to smear on your cornbread.

We know it as Dutch Butter (see previous post) but the real name for it is Amish Peanut Butter. There are dozens of recipes out there but this one is like the one they serve at the Das Dutch Haus.

This recipe makes quite a bit. It doesn't quite fill up 2 pint canning jars. Don't worry though. You will find more uses for this than just cornbread. It would be awesome over ice cream. I'm not a fan of chocolate ice cream but I think I could do it with this ladled over the top. Heck. I even smeared it on graham crackers with a piece of a Hershey bar in between...like a s'more without the marshmallow. I posted an ice cream cake recipe a while back. This would be good in place of the caramel with chopped up peanut butter cups instead of the toffee bits. Yum. You could even put it on your morning toast. Oooh! I just thought of one more thing. Apples. It would be good on apples. The possibilities are endless!

Amish Peanut Butter

Ingredients:
1 cup light corn syrup
1/2 cup smooth peanut butter
1/4 cup marshmallow creme

Directions:
~In a bowl, mix corn syrup, peanut butter and marshmallow creme together with a wire whisk until smooth.
~Store in an airtight container.

Thanks for stopping by my kitchen!

The Moistest Cornbread!

The one thing I don't like about cornbread is that it crumbles! I don't know about you but I don't want it falling apart in my hand when I'm trying to butter it.

After several tries trying different cornbread recipes, I think I found one that's a keeper. I made it to go with our meal for Allison's birthday this year. My Dad even liked it and he doesn't throw compliments out very often. I told him that I have a secret ingredient but wouldn't tell him what it was. Well...it's cottage cheese! Yes. It melts and makes it very moist. I didn't tell him because although I love cottage cheese, my parents, sister and brother don't care for it. Some things are better left unsaid. ;)

I have to laugh though. One day Allison and I were watching Paula Deen and she was making cornbread. Guess what she put in hers? Yup! Cottage cheese! Well. Allison flipped out and screamed "Mom, Paula Deen stole your secret ingredient!" Too funny!

The Moistest Cornbread

Ingredients:
2 boxes of Jiffy corn muffin mix
4 eggs, beaten
3/4 cup butter, melted
1 (12 ounce) package of frozen corn, thawed (I use the baby corn)
1 medium, onion, diced fine (I use a very small onion)
1 cup small curd cottage cheese
1 pinch of sugar

Directions:
~Preheat oven to 375 degrees
~Combine all ingredients and mix well. The batter will be very thick.
~Pour into a buttered 9" X 13" casserole dish.
~Bake in oven for 35-40 minutes until golden brown.
~Let it cool for 10 minutes to let the flavor develop. It's also good at room temperature.

Variation: You could add one or more of the following. A can of chopped green chiles, drained or 1 cup of shredded cheddar cheese or 1 cup of shredded pepper jack cheese.

One a side note...I also took this cornbread to my best friend's campsite this Summer. She said that all it needed was Dutch Butter. You see there is a restaurant not far from where we grew up that's called the Das Dutch Haus. Well. They make the most delectable homemade food and people stand in line forever just to eat there. They also serve this gooey, peanut buttery spread for their cornbread. Well after Susan mentioned it, I went on a search and finally found it. Come back tomorrow and I'll share with you what to smear on your cornbread so your tummy thanks you over and over again.

Thanks for stopping by my kitchen!

Slow Cooker Baked Potato Soup!

Since today is the first day of Fall, it's time for some warm comfort food.

There was a request on Facebook for a potato soup recipe and it got me to thinking that it's the perfect recipe to share on the cool first day of Fall.

First let me say that I'm very picky about my potato soup. I like it creamy and rich and cheesy. I developed this recipe after trying many versions. I hope you like it.

Cindi's Slow Cooker Baked Potato Soup

Ingredients:

6 medium potatoes, peeled and chopped (6 cups)
2 1/2 cups of water
1/2 cup chopped onion
10 chicken bouillon cubes
1/4 tsp. pepper
1/2 stick butter
1 12-ounce can (1 1/2 cups) evaporated milk
6-8 slices of American cheese

Directions:

1. In a 3 1/2 or 4 qt crockery cooker, combine potatoes, water, onion, bouillon and pepper. Slice butter into tabs and layer it on top of previous mixture. Cover, cook on low-heat setting for 7 ½ - 8 hours or on high heat setting for 4 to 4 1/2 hours.

2. Stir milk into soup and add 6-8 slices of American cheese. Stir until cheese melts. Cover, cook on low-heat setting for 1 hour more or high-heat setting for 30 minutes more. Mash potatoes slightly with a potato masher. Makes 6-8 side dish servings.

Top with shredded cheddar cheese and bacon bits.

**If it’s too thick for you, you can thin it out with any milk you have in your refrigerator.

Thanks for stopping by my kitchen!

***Edited to link up to Tasty Tuesday at Balancing Beauty and Bedlam, Tempt My Tummy Tuesday at Blessed with Grace and Tuesdays At The Table at All the Small Stuff.

Ice Cream Sandwich Cake!

I found this recipe as I was surfing through blogs one day. I do not remember where I found it and now I can't find it again. If this is your recipe, please let me know and I'll give you proper credit.

This is another one of those recipes that is perfect for me. It's easy but packs a big "WOW" amongst your family and friends.

Allison loved it so much, she requested it as her birthday cake this year. And with Labor Day just around the corner, it would be the perfect end of summer dessert. But then, isn't ice cream good all year round?

Ice Cream Cake

Ingredients:
19 Ice Cream Sandwiches (I use the store brand)
1 Bag of Heath Bits 'O Brickle Toffee Bits or Milk Chocolate Toffee Bits
1 Jar of Caramel Ice Cream Topping (I use Smuckers)
1 16 oz. (Big Tub) of Cool Whip, thawed

Directions:
~In a 9 x 13 glass baking dish, place 9 1/2 ice cream sandwiches on the bottom. 2 rows of 4 and 1.5 to finish the end.
~Sprinkle about 1/3 bag of the toffee bits over the sandwiches.
~Next drizzle almost 1/2 the jar of caramel over the sandwiches and bits.
~Next spread 1/2 the tub of Cool Whip over the the first layer.
~Repeat the previous steps to create another layer saving some of the bits and caramel to garnish the top layer.
~Drizzle the remaining caramel in a decorative pattern and then sprinkle with the remaining bits.
~Place uncovered in freezer for at least two hours to set up.

Other variations: Chocolate sauce with peanut butter chips, or mint chocolate chips or Butterfingers candy bars crushed up on top. With all the toppings and chips out there, your possibilities are endless!

Thanks for stopping by my kitchen!

My Antipasto Pasta Salad!

Pasta salad is popular dish this time of year. It's cool, refreshing and a perfect addition to any get together with family and friends.

There are many recipes out there for pasta salad. I happen to like a little heartier pasta salad with meat and cheeses. It's probably the Italian in me. As you have probably picked up from reading this blog, I cook for my family's taste buds. So having said that, you will not find the usual sliced olives, onions or green peppers in this recipe. Feel free to make this recipe your own and add what you and your family like.

A note before I post the recipe...I do not have exact measurements for the ingredients. I kind of throw things together. I'll do my best to give amounts but if you feel it needs more or less of anything, go for it. The recipe below is the amount I make for a party as a side dish so it makes a lot.

Cindi's Antipasto Pasta Salad

Ingredients:

• 1 box (12 oz. or 16 oz.)of bite sized pasta. I usually use tri-color rotini but this time I used farfalle (bow-ties). Both work well.


• 1 1/2 - 2 cups of broccoli florets, raw


• 1 1/2 - 2 cups of cauliflower florets, raw


• 1 medium cucumber, seeded and diced into large pieces


• 15 (approx.) grape tomatoes, cut in half


• 1/2 - 3/4 cup pepperoni, sliced thick and then cut into squares. Although this time I found "Hormel Pepperoni Minis" that was perfect for this dish. (You could also do 1/2 pepperoni and 1/2 hard salami if you like)


• 8 oz. sharp cheddar cheese, cut into bite sized cubes


• 8 oz. mozzarella cheese, cut into bite sized cubes


• 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese


• 1-2 bottles (16 oz.) of Wishbone Robusto Italian Dressing

Directions:

• Cook pasta in salted boiling water until al dente. Drain and rinse immediately under cold water to stop the cooking process.


• In a large bowl, add the pasta, broccoli, cauliflower, cucumber, pepperoni and cubed cheese and one bottle of dressing and mix well.


• Sprinkle in the grated Parmesan cheese a little at a time to prevent clumping and mix in. The cheese will absorb some of the dressing so if you feel you need to add more dressing at this time, go ahead and a little more. It should be wetter than you think because the pasta will absorb quite a bit of the dressing as it marinates.


• Lastly add the tomatoes and gently mix them so they can keep their form.


• Refrigerate the salad for several hours or overnight to blend the flavors.


• Before serving, stir well and if it seems too dry, add more dressing.

Thanks for stopping by my kitchen!

Beef & Bean Skillet Casserole!

Okay friends! I came up with this because I had a pound of thawed ground beef that I needed to use. It was also right before my grocery shopping trip so I had a limited amount of supplies in my pantry which forced me to get creative. Curtis loved it and had a big second helping. Allison picked the beans out of it and ate the whole thing. It was voted a "repeat" in my home so I thought I would share it with all of you.

I only used one skillet and one pot (to boil the noodles) so clean-up was easy. The skillet I used is a Cooks Essentials from QVC. It is one of their hard coat enamel skillets and is oven safe up to 350 degrees so I put it right in the oven to melt the cheese on top and finish off the casserole.

Beef & Bean Skillet Casserole

Ingredients:
1 lb. of ground beef
1 can of Cream of Mushroom Soup
1 cup milk
1 t. soy sauce (I use low salt)
1/2 t. black pepper
1 can of green beans, rinsed and drained
3 cups of dry egg noodles, cooked and drained
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese

Directions:
~Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
~Brown ground beef in skillet and drain grease.
~Next add Cream of Mushroom Soup, milk, soy sauce and black pepper. Mix until well blended over medium heat.
~Turn heat off and stir in cooked egg noodles and green beans.
~Fold in Parmesan cheese.
~Top with shredded cheddar cheese and a sprinkle of more Parmesan cheese.
~Place in preheated 350 degree oven for 20 minutes.
~After taking it out of the oven, let it set for 10 minutes before serving.

Thank you for visiting my kitchen!